


margarita salt and summoning circles

by deadmeatdemon



Category: Marvel, Moon Knight (Comics), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Comic Book Science, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Gen, Magic, Occult, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Twitter, daredevil will appear in a later chapter, minor OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-07 05:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18404135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadmeatdemon/pseuds/deadmeatdemon
Summary: After some-(likely dangerous)-thing is summoned in the basement of a ESU frat house, an unlikely team-up between the unstable vigilante Moon Knight and Spider-Man is formed in order to track it down and shove it back to wherever it came from.Will hopefully have lots of Spidey/New York interaction, and Spidey taking a crash course in learning to deal with the more eccentric parts of MK's personalities.





	1. Don't cry over spilled Pabst

  


“Boy’s night just went tits-up, I think.”

 

After a moment of stunned silence, Wes gathered the strength to lurch forward from his prone position on the ground. From the sound of it, other members of the fraternity followed suit from their scattered positions around the trashed room.

 

The table they had been using to perform the ritual was broken in three quarters, the contents of store brand chips and cheap Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans chaotically flung around the dingy basement floor. Deep claw marks cut into the back of a well-loved couch and trailed up the short wall to the shattered remains of what was the small basement window.

 

“What...the fuck...” Heads whipped around to one of the girls they invited to the spectacle, cowering behind a flimsy lamp in the far corner of the concrete room. “….was that.”

 

“Fair question!” A burly frat brother breathlessly exclaimed from the opposite side of the space, “Wes, care to explain what the hell that was?” He started to wildly gesture at the wrecked table. “You said that we would see Pepperoni! That sure as hell did NOT look like Pepperoni, Wes!”

 

“Uh-huh.” Wes dusted some of the margarita salt used to draw the makeshift magic circle from his curly hair as he wobbled to an upright position. It seemed no one had been injured in the flurry of black fur, claws, and teeth as whatever had appeared in the stead of the lovable deceased school pet made a frantic exit. “I think I would have noticed if Pepperoni was six feet tall and had hands for paws.”

 

“Cut the shit, Wesley, what just trashed our man-cave?” The group now congregated around the remnants of the hardwood table, where remnants of the ritual were visible. A piece of headstone from the dog’s grave on campus and VHS-quality photographs of a small speckled dog held in the arms of an alumni or superintendent stolen from one of those public billboards locked behind a layer of glass.

 

“Wes?” A second girl chimed in, her dark ESU sweater sprinkled with margarita salt that glinted in the dangling lights of the unfinished basement. Her tone much somber than it had been before the table exploded in a whirl of black fuzz, the excitement of seeing a real-life magic show now as dashed as the window that now chilled the room with night air.

 

Wes put his hands on his head, signaling defeat to his fellow frat brothers and distinguished guests. “..Maybe a wrong number?” He weakly offered.

 

A resounding groan echoed the room.

 

A senior member ruffled his hair in exasperation and started for the stairs.“I’m adding ‘No Witchcraft’ to the house rules with Wes’s dumb face tacked onto it and circled three times,” he called as he disappeared from view.

 

Wes drug his hands down his face.

 

Yeah, they were going to get in so much trouble for this.

 

* * *

 

 

Spidey was having an awful night. A really awful, no-good, terrible Thursday night. After a quick run-in with an enthusiastic Kraven and his sharp pokey-hurty stick, he was ungratefully chased from the scene by the NYPD after webbing the hunter to the side of a postbox.

 

And as if to top it all off, the warm styrofoam bowl of spaghetti he was given as thanks by an old lady for carrying groceries to her 10th floor apartment just did an eighteen story freefall onto the sidewalk.

 

Serves him right for trying to check Twitter and juggle the warm meal.

 

Serves him right for thinking that Kraven wasn’t serious about trying to nail him with his dumb javelin-thing.

 

Serves him right to even think about leaving his shitty apartment this morn-

 

_Wait, what?_

 

* * *

 

 

 

> **juicedupjamie_esu: _@AvengersMansion @NYCwebhead @dareddevil @FFFFamily_** _yo is this yours -embedded image-_
> 
> **juicedupjamie_esu:** _saw it in the quad, im not up to date on things superhero, whos mans is this_
> 
>  

* * *

 

 

Peter stared at the screen in confusion. It was a blurry snapchat video of something large and awkward running across Empire State’s University’s central quad in the dead of night. The cameraperson was behind a window, the bright lights from inside made seeing whatever was outside considerably worse. From what he could ascertain, it was a dark color and...fuzzy? It was hard to tell when a sparkly “EXAM FEELS” sticker was slapped over most of the frame.

 

Spidey shifted, bringing a leg up from where it was dangling over the ledge to rest his phone on as he analyzed the footage. It wasn’t a recent tweet, a day old at most, but none of the tagged supers had responded. Not that that was unexpected, out of those tagged he was by far the most talkative on social media anyways.

 

* * *

 

 

 

> **NYCwebhead: _@juicedupjamie_esu_** _Ohh, spooky! Hopefully just someone walking away from a 15-hour study session in the northeast commons at #UlyssesLibrary! #weveallbeenthere #goodluckonyourexams_
> 
> **lillypupdream: _@NYCwebhead_** _spideyyyyy! Come save me from my orgchem  
>  exam! ill pay you in bugs that i found in my bathroom_
> 
> **Marissa_pacha: _@lillypupdream @NYCwebhead_** _He knows where the northeast commons are #spideystudysession instead??_
> 
>  

* * *

 

Spider-Man started to rack his brain on what this..thing could be. He huffed in frustration, and only distantly heard an offended noise of disgust emanating from the distracted pedestrian who had stepped right into his forgotten pile of Jackson Pollocked spaghetti on the street below.

 

 _Man-Wolf?_ Peter started to rifle through his mental list of large, hairy rogues that he knew. _Vermin? No, he had heard he was doing well at that mental institute...Ravencross? Raven-coff? Whatever._

 

His eye-lenses squinted in thought, as the video continued to replay the large animal-thing tumbling awkwardly on all fours past an ugly university statue, pausing for a moment before finally dashing out of frame.

 

_Venom that needs a backshave?_

 

* * *

 

 

 

> **Marissa_pacha: _@lillypupdream @NYCwebhead_** _He knows where the northeast commons are #spideystudysession instead??_
> 
> **NYCwebhead: _@Marissa_pacha_** _Dunno for sure, but setting out an offering of Starbucks and Steak n’ Shake on the north commons terrace is sure to attract bugs 🕷️_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya, this is my first fic! ive been a spidey fan for a while, and i hope i can bring some justice to the character while also implementing my other favorite NY vigilantes! (also i demand more kraven content. hes my fav spidey villian no shame)
> 
> for those who might be wondering, the spider-man i'm writing is more of a hybrid version, maybe closer to a younger Spider-Man PS4 Peter, so no stark suit etc, sorry! i love tom holland spidey but hes..kinda a soggy bagel in characterization. the moon knight i'm going (to try my hardest) to write will borrow a lot from the Lemire and Ellis' run.
> 
> spideys never struck me as a good team player, and moon knight even less so, so thisll be fun to write hopefully
> 
> moon knight in next chapter!


	2. That's Amore!

 

 

Washington Square Park was unnaturally void of bustling activity. Marc guessed that it would at least be a little crowded with people eager to get an Instagrammable night-time photo of the Arch, but as he approached he realized it may be because the heavy police presence would really throw the whole composition off.

 

“Spector, glad you could join us so quickly,” greeted a gruff, round man that looked to be testing the upper limits of his uniform’s waistband. “We wanted to get your opinion on something.”

 

“It’s Mr. Knight,” he corrected, adjusting the crescent-shaped cufflinks pinned to his white suit. The few cruisers in the park had their lights off and a handful of cops milled around. It didn’t seem that the police were gathered around any one spot, so it's likely this is not a normal crime scene where there's a body to check or remaining evidence to collect. “You called me here to just to get an opinion?”

 

A few officers side-eyed him curiously. It was no secret that this “Mr. Knight” who occasionally helped out the NYPD was also the unpredictable Moon Knight, but if any of them had the mettle to try and arrest him for unsanctioned vigilantism, it didn’t make an appearance.

 

The officer rubbed the back of his neck.“You always seem to have a different way of looking at these sorts of things, and honestly, this seems right up your alley.”

 

Mr. Knight tilted his head in silent question.

 

“For the past 24 hours or so, we have been getting call after call of a “large dog” on the ESU campus.” The officer began, emphasizing with air quotes before turning his back and striding towards the cluster of police cars at the entrance of the park. “In my opinion, I think it’s nothing but a ploy to whip up hysteria and close the university for exam week,” he mumbled under his breath. “But you know universities, they want the problems solved before they start, so here we are.”

 

Mr. Knight followed, his stark-white three piece suit stood out brilliantly in the dim atmosphere of the park. “A dog?” He waved a gloved hand dismissively and adjusted his lapels. “I’m not animal control, Flint.”

 

Detective Flint retrieved a coffee cup from his cruiser before leaning back on the vehicle. He looked amused. “Ah, my bad, was I mistaken in that you wrangled yourself a werewolf or two a few years ago?”

 

The eyes on the white mask narrowed.

 

Flint huffed into his drink. “We have a few photos, real found-footage type stuff,” he produced a smartphone from his pocket, “Shaky as hell, can’t see for shit, y’know.”

 

Mr. Knight took the device from the detective. It was a few photos of a black quadruped standing around in a courtyard area of the campus, with only the delicate glow of a nearby fountain reflecting on its form the sole giveaway to its dark presence against the inky night.

 

“It certainly looks like an animal.” The white-suited figure commented. The following video was not much better quality. The cameraperson was obviously frightened, and the camera jostled in her grip as the creature disappeared from the glow of the fountain and out of frame. “But it’s huge, too big for a dog. How big is that fountain?”

 

“At least a good five feet, give or take,” Flint answered.

 

“Eyewitnesses?”

 

“Out the ass.”

 

Mr. Knight clapped his gloved hands together.

 

“Great. Let’s go talk to them.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Wes tried to sit still through his morning classes, desperately trying to seem like he wasn’t on the edge of a anxiety attack. Immediately after the table exploded and whatever popped into existence had finished ruining a couch or two, it seemed like everyone had the same idea: _We’ll_ _worry about it in the morning_.

 

But what happens when morning comes around?

 

It had only been around 36 hours after the ritual, but it had made the campus snapchat story. A half dozen videos captured nighttime glimpses of the monster that had appeared in the frat house’s basement scaling trees, buildings, running sloppily across the quad, outside the campus Chic-Fil-A, everywhere around campus.

 

It wouldn’t make local news just yet, as many who were in the know chalked it up to an end-of-semester prank. On the other hand, he _had_ heard rumors that ESU and NYC police were in the area last night.

 

_Oh god…_

 

The frat house had played it off, promising that they wouldn’t tell anyone of what happened ‘because that’s what brothers do’, but what if the thing he unleashed started to attack people? What then?

 

The droning of a chem lecture became the background music of his suffering. Wes laid his head on the small desk with a strangled groan.

 

_What should I do…..?_

 

“Hey, man. You alright?” Resisting the urge to grunt like a neanderthal in reply, Wes perked up a little to look at who was talking to him.

 

It was a guy a few seats over, a real teacher’s pet who’s great grades excused him from any penalties that would entail hardly ever showing up to class. Lucky bastard.

 

Peter’s his name, right? Peter Palmer?

 

“Yeah, just a headache,” Wes replied. Peter gave him a sympathetic look and returned his attentions to the front of the lecture hall.

 

Wes eventually fell asleep to the calming noises of Bohr’s law and the tickety-tack of surrounding laptops.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

> **ingrid_1997:** **_@NYCwebhead_ ** _rumor mill says that youre swinging (ha) around_ **_@Ulysses_Lib_ ** _for a study sesh 👀👀_
> 
>  
> 
> **broken_lamp43:** **_@ingrid_1997_ ** _when has the rumor mill been right_ _about spidey? Mans got more important stuff to do than your english_ _homework!_

 

* * *

 

 

 

> **Ulysses_Lib:** _Hey ESU! If Spidey decides to show up to our library, remember to keep #CodeCape precautions in mind! Keep yourself safe in the event of an emergency!_
> 
>  
> 
> **Ulysses_Lib _:_ ** _Also think about joining the French club in the international room for refreshments later today @7!_

 

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> moon knight introduction out of the way! love that moon man, hope i can do him justice!
> 
> and yeah, obligatory peter palmer ref, haha.


	3. The Wind-Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for people new to Moon Knight! He has DID, and thus has a multitude of personalities in his head. For this fic, I will focus mainly on Jake Lockely (who I card as a Moon Knight personality, though Spector can don the cape too) and Marc Spector (who is more suited (hah) for Mr. Knight in my mind).
> 
> He also has two others, Steven Grant (a reserved businessman that funds MK's whole..operation mostly) and Khonshu. Depending on the writer, Khonshu is either a literal moon god that's taken up residence in Marc's mind or just a symbol of his madness. For me, Khonshu is both a real god (in the sense that Marc truly believes that he is one) and a personification of his mental illness. He also has a kick-ass design in later comics.

Peyton bustled her way through the lower floor of Ulysses Library, laptop in one hand and Starbucks in the other, with a paper bag filled with warm blueberry scones balanced delicately in between.

 

The library was less busy than usual, and she wasn’t sure if that was because of it being an hour til midnight or if the knowledge of what happened the last time a cape showed up on campus kept the weak-willed at home. Some people say they still find rubble in between the books in the Psychology and Health section.

 

Her curly locks bounced as she made her way up the marble staircase onto the main floor and elevator area, passing by fake plants and chairfulls of sleeping students. She awkwardly pressed the button, almost spilling a little of her moccacino onto the shiny floor.

 

Wes and those other jocky frat boys may be fine just twiddling their thumbs, but Peyton sure as hell wasn’t. Her girlfriend hadn’t left her dorm room since the incident, and the memory of her big green eyes blown wide in fright steeled Peyton’s resolve for her current mission.

 

The elevator ride was painfully slow, a screen to the left of the control panel cycled through various advertisements for clubs on campus, as well as a watered-down version of the NYPD-sanctioned “Code Cape” safety precautions. The list of (common sense, admittedly) guidelines were flanked on both sides by cute images of the Avengers and Fantastic Four.

 

**_CODE CAPE KEEPS YOU SAFE!_ **

__\- DO NOT APPROACH a super in action.__

_\- GET AWAY from the area and find safety_

_\- STAY BEHIND any military or police line._

 

_Follow any updates or instructions given to you through ESU Emergency Text Service_

_For direct information regarding all things CODE CAPE follow @ESUpolice_

 

 

Sure, she was technically on her way to breaking the first rule, especially with a super that’s known to be on the NYPD’s we-want-to-unmask-you list for as long as he’s been swinging around, but she was doing it for love. The police would understand that, hopefully.

 

_Ding!_

 

Peyton squeezed past the other students in the elevator and out into the floor’s lobby. The North Common’s Terrace was hidden behind a wall of bookshelves, hard to find if you weren’t familiar with the library. As she winded her way to the glass door that led outside, the lights of multiple laptops illuminated blanket-wrapped students, all likely waiting for their special guest.

 

Stepping out into the cool night air, she added her bag of blueberry scones to the pile of junk food that had accumulated on the far corner of the terrace’s concrete wall, and found herself a free seat by a couple of students pouring over a mock math exam to wait.

 

* * *

 

Peter was having a breakdown.

 

“This is it. This is what kills me.” He balled his fists in his hair. “I’m done for.”

 

The page of practice redox reactions sat in his lap, unfinished, covered in doodles drawn in exasperation. On any normal night, he would have had these done yesterday, but the stress of trying to help J. Jonah Jameson find out how to send pictures to his son on his ancient phone has done him in.

 

Peter stared blankly at the page, wishing, _hoping_ that staring really hard would make these electrons magically balance themselves. The loud _click-click-clack_ of his shitty apartment’s air conditioning kicking on filled the silence.

 

Okay, maybe it wasn’t Jonah. The monster he’d seen on Twitter a night ago was still on the forefront of his mind, the same monster that had made him zone out completely during this morning’s chemistry lecture. A lecture that he sorely needed right at this moment.

 

Giving up, Peter decided that maybe investigating this monster would help him refocus. He sloppily threw on his suit, and packed a small yellow backpack with the practice paper and a few books. He reached for the egg-white mini fridge (that doubled as a bedside table) to pack a midnight snack, but unsurprisingly found it empty of anything edible. A few cans of La Croix and a free cream puff sample that had slowly deteriorated into an experiment in how gross something would have to get before Peter dared to chuck it mocked him for even looking.

 

Defeated for the second time, he slid his mask on and planted his boots on his bed in preparation to escape through his studio apartment’s overhead skylight. His mind drifted to that flippant agreement he made a few nights ago. His stomach rumbled at the thought of a free greasy burger, or any free food for that matter.

 

Maybe the North Terrace of Ulysses Library would be a good place to start the investigation.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Moon Knight stood on the edge of the Art and Architecture building; an ugly, brutalist structure that screamed everything but ‘Art and Architecture’. His white suit stood out brightly against both the concrete gray building and black night, his hood and long cape flapped noisily in the chilly air.

 

A few passing students craned their heads up from the small pathways below at the noise of his cape slapping the building occasionally, faces twisting in confusion at his overly-dramatic pose.

 

But dramatic is what Jake Lockley does, he’s always cleaning up messes too stressful for Spector or Grant to handle, and that’s the way he likes it. So he let’s them stare. Let them know that he’ll protect them as they travel the night.

 

From the information Mr. Knight gathered, he deduced that the beast seen on campus was likely still on campus, for whatever reason. In their shared headspace, Spector and Khonshu had discussed that it could be a werewolf, or some kind of related monster, but that mattered little to Lockley. If there was something terrorizing innocent people trying to go about their night in the way he saw through Spector’s eyes yesterday, he would make sure that it would go squealing back to whatever pit it came from.

 

And so here he was, certified mess cleaner, on his third stake-out spot, waiting for the tell-tale sign of werewolf (or whatever) activity.

 

Khonshu appeared below him on the pathway, drawing him out of his thoughts. His presence no longer caused fear or shame towards himself, but now seemed to represent acceptance of his unique situation, all thanks to Spector regaining his place as the dominant personality.

 

The bleached crow skull craned his neck up in much the same fashion as the students around him did, making sure he was paying attention. Khonshu then turned, extending a gloved hand to point to a nearby shadowed area. Moon Knight followed the skull’s gaze to a forested (as much as it could get for NYC at least) area that was popular with students during the daytime, the trees being spaced apart enough for hammocks to be slung between them.

 

A glimpse of shadow moved between the trees as it hustled along a pathway that cut through the foliage.

 

_Clank! Bang! Clankity!_

 

The sound of a trash can being knocked over made Moon Knight spring into action. He leapt off the building, gliding cape billowing out into a crescent shape as he descended into the area Khonshu had drawn his attention towards. He landed with a heavy thud in the middle of the line of trees, the large white cape fanning out behind him menacingly.

 

The noises stopped, and the creature abruptly lifted its head out of the metal bin it had been buried in to meet his gaze.

 

What Moon Knight’s masked eyes met was not unlike what he saw when he sees Khonshu, in the headspace or otherwise. A white dog skull stared back at him, its long ears pointed upwards in attention, and a Doritos bag punctured by a canine tooth hung loosely from its skeletal mouth. The empty skull was perched on an unnaturally long neck connected to a dog-like body, but with clawed hands for forelimbs and a swishy tail.

 

It clicked its toothy mouth open and closed a few times, shifting slightly in place next to its trash can, seemingly studying the white figure.

 

“Definitely... not a werewolf,” Jake stated to himself. This seemed to snap the creature out of its trance, and the creature made its own announcement in the form of a strangled sound that erupted from its skully face.

 

“ _Click-hiss, hiss-click_ !” The monster called as it crouched down low, its front hand-paws splayed out in front of it, sharp nails scraping against the rough path. “ _Click-click-hiss_!”

 

Jake produced a moondart from his side, sizing up the creature that now appeared to take a fighting stance. The crescent-shaped weapon glinted in the moonlight, casting a weak light beam over the head of the creature. It didn’t make a move towards the white-clad vigilante, and stayed in its crouched position. Moon Knight noticed, peripherally perhaps, that the beast faintly cocked its head to the side at his coiled posture.

 

Jake made the first move and expertly threw the first moondart aiming for its throat area, but the beast recoiled away in time, leaving it to clip the top part of one of its hands.

 

“ _Hiss_!” Its ears flattened to the sides of its head. It let out its version of a yelp and backed up as Moon Knight advanced, producing more moondarts to hold threateningly between his fingers.

 

A muted gurgling noise came from the back of its skull. For a moment, Jake tensed up at the thought of this six-foot animal-thing lunging in retaliation, and raised his fists full of metal crescents defensively.

 

His fear was unfounded, however, as the beast suddenly lurched to his right and began to awkwardly race away, leaping clear over a bench where its clawed hands and back paws made purchase on the wall of a nearby building. Moon Knight let out a grunt of indignation and let fly a few more moondarts, which lodged themselves in the space that the creature had clung to, their intended target frantically clamoring up and over the side of the building like a frightened bear.

 

Not wasting a second, Moon Knight followed after the retreating figure using his grappling hook. It took longer for him to reach the roof than the beast, which seemed to be just enough time for it to get a head start and disappear once again. Unfortunately for his prey, however, it was not hard to notice the trail of gashes the creature left in its wake as it scrambled across the roof and off into the night.

 

A new resolve washing over him, Moon Knight’s white cape flitted in the air as he began to track.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

> **ESUpolice:** _Unconfirmed sightings of Moon Knight in the area around the AA_ _and HSS buildings. Please follow all #CodeCape guidelines._
> 
> _We will keep you_ _updated as investigation continues._

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

> **spiderwatch:** _Spider-Man_ _spotted swinging through downtown along 5th_ _Avenue! -embedded image-_
> 
>  
> 
> **kimberlyyy2010:** **_@spiderwatch_ ** _go spidey goooo_
> 
>  
> 
> **JJJameson:** **_@spiderwatch_ ** _Freeloader thinks he’s better than_ _all of us! Suffer in the shoes of a pedestrian for once!_ **_@NYCwebhead @NYCwebhead @NYCwebhead_**
> 
>  

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmm proper meeting should come in the next chapter. 
> 
> for a sketchy visual reference for the monster (minus arrows!) https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/494120317833183244/554787400954544139/streaming.png (art by me lol)
> 
> also im stealing so many college things from my own campus...forgive me


End file.
